Very rare diary recording a journey across the Oregon Trail in the summer of 1852 by William Willson and his family by wagon. They leave Kanesville, Iowa (just prior to the name being changed to Council Bluffs) on May 9th, 1852, and arrive in settled territory on August 16th. Nearly all of the daily entries take up a full page, and give exceptional detail, beginning with the time of departure, number of miles covered each day, the camp they made, the trail covered and incidents of travel, the countryside, number of wagons in the company (which varied), health of the travelers, any accidents, and of course the weather. He mentions the amount and virtue of grazing land, quality and quantity of water, and the game found on the way. Encounters with Native Americans are mentioned, though there seem to have been no hostilities. One can trace his journey across the Missouri, up the Platte, past Chimney Rock, abreast of Fort Laramie, over South Pass, along the Big Sandy River, down Bear Valley, past Fort Hall, finally reaching the rich valleys of Oregon. A remarkable and invaluable record of the seminal migration route in the westward expansion of the United States. Accompanied by four cartes-de-visite and two tintypes: cdv of a man, identified on verso in pencil Wm. Wilson; cdv of Willson and a woman, undoubtedly his wife; another example of preceding, but soiled; cdv of Mrs. Willson, apparently; tintype of a young man, possibly Willson; tintype of the same man, with three women (wife, sister and mother?). Also accompanied by a clipped letterhead of Chas. T. Willson, Insurance and Real Estate Agent, San Gabriel, Cal., 188-. A few excerpts follow: May 9th 1852. Left Kanesville, Iowa in the morning & past up on the Iowa side of the river 12 miles to uper ferry. The road leads over high bluffs & deep ravines… * Monday, May 10th …We will have to remain here for some days before we can cross there are so many trains(?) in ahead of us… * Friday, 14th Crossed the river this morning and came to papen creek, 21 miles, where we encamped for the night. – had some trouble in crossing the river, but got over safe… Saw no Indians until we reached the creek, where some ten or twelve had collected but gave us no trouble. Some twelve teams are camped at the same place – a strict watch was kept around the camp during the night. * Sun. 16 …came 22 miles to Shell creek where we encamped for the night still kept along the Platte bottom. Country level, soil dark sandy loam, roads level, but soft from the previous night’s rain. Pasture good most of the way. Saw no Indians… * Mon. 24th Left camp at 7:00 came six miles to prairie creek, most of the way over, or in, a most miserable road, 3 miles of the way was through a quick sand bottom creek very bad crossing – timber on the Platte now in sight from this point we came 15 miles to where we encamped, crossing two small creeks & wood river for the last 10 miles, the road was through a beautiful bottom, & table land – good pasture land from camp – wood plenty, but bad water… * JUNE Sun. 6th. Chimney Rock is seen in fair view from camp – it is on the opposite side of the river & about 6 miles distant… * Wednesday 9th …encamped…some three miles northwest from Fort Laramie… saw several Indian villages on south of river… * Thurs. 17th Still in camp being detained by the sickness of J.H. .. From two to three hundred teams passed us today, all rushing to leave the Platte as soon as possible… there is a good deal of sickness behind us along the Platte… * Thurs. 24th …we reached the summit of the mountains, where the water runs toward the Pacific. Poor grass all the way… * Friday 25th …encamped on big sandy river… a large number of Snake Indians & white traders live along the big Sandy having a very large number of fine looking ponies & horses… * JULY Tues. 6th Left camp at 6 & came 21 miles & encamped south of the road, near a creek which runs into Snake river, where we found plenty of grass, wood & water. The road for about 13 miles lay over the dividing ridge which separates the waters of B[ear] R[iver] from those of the Columbia & was quite hilly but smooth. The remainder of the way lay along the creek bottom… The country is becoming more open & less mountainous… * Wed. 7th …Fort Hall is now a desolate looking place. It is now occupied only as a trading post for the H.B. Co. It is build of unburnt brick… * Sunday, 11th …a large number of Indians collected around our camp at noon – they were a vicious(?) looking set – scarcely any humanity about them… * AUGUST Sun. 1st …this is one of the most beautiful valleys I have ever beheld – it is many miles in extent & completely surrounded by lofty mountains excepting the passage of the grandronde river – the grass is the best that I have seen on the road – it is as heavy as many of the meadows in the states – the soil is a rich sandy loam – 1000 persons might find plenty of room to reside here & a most beautiful residence it would be, but the Indians will not sell it – it does one good once more to reach a spot where barrenness does not reign… * Mon. 16th Left camp at 5 came 23 miles & put up with Mr. Foster at his residence, the first settlement of account in this section – here we got good hay & oats for our horses…